Ash's Book of Challenges
by Ashbreeze365
Summary: Come one, come all, to the Book of Challenges! Here I will be posting my submissions for my Cloudclan challenges, and challenges for future forums I may or may not join! Come on, take a peak, you may be surprised! Rated T for death and slight violence.
1. Chapter 1: Thin Air

**A/N: Hello everyone! So, yeah, this is where I shall publish challenges for my favorite forum (and the only one I really participate in), GloomClan! It's great there, you should go visit 'em. Now, if in the future I should join another forum/become more active in another forum, their challenges will also be posted here, m'kay. Now, without further ado, here's my first challenge!**

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**Thin Air**

I knew I would die one day, I always knew, but I never thought it would be like this. In my nest, on a cold leaf-bare morning, with only the medicine cat, Snowleaf, for company. My parents where busy on a hunting patrol, and my sister... she was afraid I would get her sick. Yep, I was sick, a pretty lousy way to go. I dreamed of dying in battle beside my fellow warriors, but instead I laid in the stuffy ThunderClan medicine den. Snowleaf toiled away, frantically searching through her medicine supply for her last bit of catmint. Her normally glossy white pelt was ragged and unkept, and her green eyes that usually shined with a brilliant glow were clouded and dark. I didn't look much better, golden brown fur all dusty and tangled, my normally bright and curious blue eyes now filled with tears. Blood clotted the hair on my chin and chest, along with the yellowish mucus that poored from my mouth.

I had green cough, a horrific case of it, and all the catmint was used on the queens and their kits, along with the few elders that survived this far into the cold season. Snowleaf knew that there was none left, but she continued to search, while mumbling silently.

"Don't you worry your little head, Goldenpaw, I'll find it, then you'll be back to your old self," she whispered. I think she might have gone a little insane. I just laid there, waiting, thinking. _Is this really it? Am i going to die? What a sucky way to go, it's actually kind of... funny. The strong and brave Goldenpaw, killed by a illness. What will everyone think of me now. Would Lilypaw still look at me as the amazing big sister? Will Dustpaw still like me? And what about Sunpaw and Frostpaw? _

No. It couldn't end this way. I had a life, friends, a crush, a little sister. I never showed Lilypaw that hunting trick. I never got to be with Dustpaw. I never went on that swimming trip with my pals. I started to cry, praying, wishing, begging.

_Please, not like this. I still have a life to live! StarClan, please. I-I don't want to join you, n-not yet!_

Snowleaf heard my sobbing and ran over to comfort me. She stroked my back with her tail and licked behind my ears. She said it was okay, that I would find a new, better life in StarClan. She said that all I had to do was wait patiently, and sooner or later, all I every loved would come back to me, all the cats I cared for would join me one day. I coughed, which felt as though I was trying to hack out my lungs. My blood splattered the moss under me, and the den became brighter. Soon, I was engulfed in a blinding light, one even brighter than that of a warm, sunny afternoon. My body was cold, but the light made it seem as though I was being throw into the sun. The experience was breathtaking, though it was short lived. As the light began to reach its max, everything was suddenly shrouded in the a black that was darker than a moonless night. Then everything stopped.

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Exact word total: 613

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**A/N: This next story is for the same challenge, and was an accident. I forgot that I was required to write about a cat dying of green cough, and instead wrote a completely different story. However, I like this one better, and decided to add it in. Hope you enjoy!**

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Everyone dies. It's an undeniable fact, but what happens after, is another thing.

Everyone around me believes with all their being that there is an afterlife, one of unending peace for the noble cats that have done right in their time on this earth, and one of eternal darkness for those who committed terrible crimes in the past. StarClan, they call it, the place where all good doing cats go after they have died. I for one never believed in such a place, neither did I believe in The Dark Forest, the place which evil cats go. It's not that I feel it is all a crazy tale the elders share with those who will listen, I was just simply raised this way, into a family that had no faith in an afterlife.

Like I said, everyone in my clan, RiverClan to be exact, believes with every fiber of their being, that the stars above are the eyes of our ancestors as they watched over us. My parents had me to believe that this was all rubbish, and I fell for this, I believed that StarClan simply wasn't there, that it never was. Until the day I died.

During an average sunny green-leaf day, on an average border patrol, was me and my mentor, Singingbrook. She was a sleek, dazzling brown tabby with the most majestic voice and the deepest blue in her eyes, and I was a small, scrawny dark gray tom with normal amber eyes and fur that stuck out like a porcupine's, which earned me the name Kinkpaw. I had a secret love for my mentor, one that resulted in teasing from my fellow denmates, but I never really took it hard.

We were sent alone on the patrol, due to the fact that we had lost several warriors in the latest battle, one that I was never apart of because of my lack of experience. All seemed fine on the WindClan border, quiet and infested with rabbits as usual. As we combed the ShadowClan border however, we caught ourselves in an sticky issue. Two apprentices, both much bigger than I, strode along our side of the lake, carrying tons of fish and voles. Singingbrook instantly sprung into a heated argument with the two intruding cats. She accused them as prey stealing frog-brains, they retorted by calling her a fish-breathed weasel. She declared the younger black tom as a mangy imbecile. That caught him off guard, and he looked as though he would start a fight, but the older ginger tabby she-cat stepped forward.

"Why don't you scamper off to your Two-legs and snack on your food pellets like a good kittypet?" the ginger cat spat, followed by an abrupt fit of laughter from the two ShadowClan apprentices. Singingbrook was dumbfounded. Her mother had left her as a kit, and was later discovered has a kittypet that lived in the Two-leg place at the end of the Thunderpath behind the horse place. That sent me into a fit of insanity, and I lunged at the ginger.

The black tom followed along by tackling Singingbrook and pinning her to the ground. She came to her wits and flung the black tom off and into the lake. I continued to wrestle the ginger she-cat, we tumbled down the slope toward the water, claws flying and tails lashing in fury. She bit my shoulder, I stuck her muzzle. She clawed my ear, l beat at her stomach. She caught my eye, I screeched and released my grip on her. Taking this opening, she kicked out her legs and threw me into the lake. The freezing water stung my wounds and burned my face. Once I shot up out of the water for air, I was shoved back under. The ginger apprentice forced me under water and violently shook me. I bashed my head against a rock as she thrashed me, and a large cloud of crimson blurred my vision as blood seeped from my skull and drifted into the water. She continued to shake me until I was delirious. Everything around me was fuzzy and faded. The beautiful lake looked like a pale blue patch of fur, and the pine trees ahead looked like tall scruffy strands of grass. Once I regained focus, the ginger stood over me and clawed my face. She tore the fur from my jaw, split open my cheek, and damaged my eye further.

After violently beating me down, she became exhausted and called to her partner, "Nightpaw, lets go!" The black tom was a few tail-lengths away, pinned on the ground, Singingbrook firmly hold him down with her claws imbedded in his shoulders. He looked up and wiggled away from Singingbrook. He started toward his clanmate, before his gaze wondered down to me. His green eyes stretched wide and he backed away in terror.

"Russetpaw, w-what did you do," he breathed, filching when his friend replied, "I had a little fun."

Singingbrook caught sight of me too, and rushed over immediately. "Oh, Kinkpaw! What did she do to you?!"

Nightpaw padded over silently to observe his clanmate's work, mouth gaping in surprise. "Russet, what have you done? What are we gonna do? What is Echostar gonna do to us?" Nightpaw was horrified, and he had no idea what to do, the look on his face gave me chills. _What did she do to me? Am I going to be alright?_ The ShadowClan cat ran off after Russetpaw had threatened to harm Nightpaw if he didn't follow. The black apprentice had quietly whispered "I'm sorry" before rushing back to his own territory. Singingbrook just stared at me, tears welling up her beautiful eyes. "Kinkpaw, I'm so sorry," she meowed before burring her muzzle in my fur. I laid there, waiting, thinking. _I'm going to die, aren't I? Am-am I going to go to StarClan? Do they exists? _I froze. _Is there even a StarClan? _

I started to panic. I didn't want to just, die, and not come back. I though of a dark, empty place, where all I would see, was nothing. I wouldn't have my friends, my family, not even my thoughts or memories. Just darkness. I wouldn't have... _Singingbrook!_

I looked up at my mentor, my sight becoming fuzzy and dark. My throat and mouth where so dry, I could barely say a thing, but I still forced out the words "I... love... you.." before everything disappeared, to be later lit up by a lush forest called StarClan.

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**A/N: Whelp, there you go. Oh, and just I case you're wondering, Goldenpaw is later named Goldenpoppy, and Kinkpaw becomes Kinkpelt. Thanks for reading and remember to review! **


	2. Chapter 2: Freedom

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for disappearing on you, but a lot has happened and I was really caught up in real life. For this challenge, I will be writing a story about a clan cat with a very serious disability or scar that separates them from the "normal" cats, and about thier struggles to free themselves from being different. I can't wait to see how this goes! (I am typing this authors note with no idea where this story is gonna go...)**

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**Freedom**

I... am a freak, a distorted and ugly thing, not worthy of living. That's how my clanmates discribed me. That's how all of Thunderclan saw me, as a frail, worthless cat that can't even walk right, let alone be any use to the clan. I have a terrible disability, one that keeps me in the rank of "less than dirt" and gave me the name Limpkit. My left hind leg... it isn't even there, it never was. I was born without it. No one knows why I was born with out a leg, I just was.

From the moment I opened my eyes, I was always greeted by the disgusted faces of my clanmates. My mother didn't want me, she said I would "contaminate the whole litter". My father didn't pay me any notice, he wanted perfect kits that would succeed him as great warriors, and I didn't fit into his requirements. Everyone hated me, so when I was made an apprentice, I ran away. I promised myself I would get back at them, that I would train and learn to live with my disability.

I found an abandoned fox den at the edge of the border that separated us from Shadowclan. That became my new home. I practiced my own fighting techniques, ones that would allow me to battle without my missing leg becoming an issue. I tried hunting like the others, crouching low to the ground and stalking, but it never suited me because I always had to hop around. Instead, I chased after prey and tried my best to corner it into a wall with no way out, but of course this plan rarely earned me something to eat. Within a few moons I perfected my fighting, but suffered from hunger. My hunting never really worked, sometimes I had to rely on the chance of already dead or injured prey. I eventually gave up on training and focused all my energy into hunting.

I caught a very weak and scrawny mouse and stumbled upon a half eaten chaffinch. That was my meal, and possibly the biggest I had since I left Thunderclan. I felt miserable, and I was sure I would fail my big revenge plan. For a few moments, I considered going back. I may not have been loved, but I was feed. Then I remembered all the looks I got, all the hateful comments. I never wanted to go back, unless it was to watch them burn.

I continued this pattern for a while, barely able to feed myself and always thinking about the possibility of going back, until one day my while routine was destroyed.

With a few mice in my jaws, I was heading back to my nest when I heard someone call out for help. I ignored it at first, but as the screams continued, I decided to check it out. I ran through the forest, heading toward the abandoned Twoleg den. I peered past the rotting wood of the Twoleg den once I arrived, and watched as a tall, ginger-and-brown tom tore out a small she-cat's throat. The gray tabby convulsed and spat out in a desperate attempt to scream before freezing and falling limp to the ground. A twisted grin crossed his maw as he looked down and observed his work. The she-cat's amber eyes stared blankly at the cloudy sky, her mouth stretched in a silent scream for help.

Then I heard a branch snap behind me. I whipped around just as a small, pure white she-cat fell from a tree and crashed into the brambles below. She shot right back up and out of the undergrowth and ran toward me, teeth bared into a pitiful snarl. She flexed her tiny claws and hissed at me, fluffing up her pelt. I sighed, felling almost sorry for her. She looked ridiculous, and completely un-threatening. She continued her weak display before screaming and crouching in terror.

A dark shadow casted itself on the young cat, and the tom launched over my head and at the she-cat. She screeched and darted toward the forest, but the the tom caught her tail between his jaws and yanked her back. She slammed into me and we slid back as the tom walked toward. I shoved the white cat away and jumped to my paws, preparing for a fight. The tom continued to charge toward me, before he caught a glimpse of my missing leg. He laughed and turned toward the small she-cat. She scrambled to her paws and ran, but the tom leapt for her and pinned her to the ground.

She kicked and called to me for help. The ginger-and-brown tom laughed and looked up at me. "Poor Frostpaw, can't tell the difference between a cat and an abomination like this." I stared to burn up. "This is an example of Starclan giving up on a cat," he continued, his dark green eyes meeting with mine. I fluffed out my black fur and snarled.

"So, how did you lose it, may I ask," he meowed, digging his claws into the white cat's shoulders. She cried out in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks and pooling in the dirt beside her head. I narrowed my eyes and hissed in response. His smile disappeared and he gave me a soft, sympathetic look.

"Oh, poor kit," he meowed, trying to sound sorry. "I didn't mean to offend you." He dug into the she-cat's shoulders and yanked his paws back, tearing the fur and some fleash from her. She screamed in agony and kicked out her hind legs, but the tom had her firmly held down. "Is this your friend here," he asked me, placing his claws on her neck. I shook my head.

"Very well," he whispered, before slashing Frostpaw's throat. I watched as the light left her blue eyes, and I didn't care. I didn't seem to mind the fact this tom killed two cats in cold blood. I later discovered that those two where the Shadowclan medicine cats, Frostpaw and Shadetail. The tom who killed them, was Timber, a rouge cat that wondered the clan territories. We talked about my plans for revenge, I don't know why I trusted him, I just did. Maybe it was because he didn't kill me. He showed me to his group, a small bunch consisting of five cats. They stayed in the fox den with me, became my family. They didn't care about my difference, they cared for me regardless of what I looked like. I felt at home, I felt loved. I made friends with the only she-cat of the group, a tortoiseshell named Shard, and a young gray tom called Storm, who was formally a kittypet. Stone and Peak were the strongest of our group, and the only ones that were related. Both had dark brown tabby pelts and dark amber eyes and shared the same parents. They gave me the name Night and supplied me with care and love. They helped me overcome my disabiltiy. This was my family, and they were now part of my plan for revenge.

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Exact word total: 1,227

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**A/N: What have I just wrote? I completely lost control and typed without any idea what this was leading to. Well, I guess this is my challenge submission...**


	3. Chapter 3: Bloom

**A/N: Hello... I don't even know who I'm talking to. Nobody reads these things. Oh well, I will still write for the love of it... also, so I can rank up in The Clan of Clouds :P (Also, Gloomclan was deleted, so I will no longer be posting for them)**

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**Bloom**

It was freezing, normal for a leaf-bare morning, but still, I couldn't drag my mind away from worry. My little kits were playing out in the freshly fallen snow, only Starclan knows why I thought it was a good idea to allow them to leave the den. The sun hadn't even risen yet, though its golden rays still shined above the pine trees that surrounded our camp. I searched my mind for excuses to bring them back in. They may have been having fun, getting fresh air, but I didn't fell comfortable with them outside. Then I found the perfect reason to herd them back in, one that struck me with fear. _The elders have greencough! My kits could catch it!_

I swiftly poked my head out of the nursery and called to my kits. Dawnkit and Eaglekit almost instantly left their game of tag to join me in the den, they must have been cold. Goosekit and Fernkit however, stayed outsde, crouching in the snow like hunters cautiously watching their prey. I sighed. I was proud that they took such interest in being a warrior, but seeing them disobey made me feel... sad, almost as if I failed at being a mother. They realized the insecure look on my face and quickly ran toward me.

Dawnkit wrapped her tiny paws around my leg. "Please, don't be sad mother," she begged, showing me her beautiful dark blue eyes as she whimpered. "We didn't mean to make you upset." Goosekit nodded his head in agreement and grabbed my other leg. I looked down at my adorable kits, two little gray balls of love with wide blue eyes.

I laughed a little and licked their ears. "It's not you, little ones. I'm just... unprepared, I guess." They both stared at me, confused. I could tell by the looks I was getting, that they had no idea what I meant. "I'm unprepared to be a mother," I explained. They still didn't understand, I didn't really know what I was saying either. "You do want us, right, Marshfeather?"

I flinched at Goosekit's words. _Does he think I don't want them, that I care not for my little ones? _I cleared my throat and nodded my head. "Yes, Goosekit, I want you. I love all my kits. I just meant that, this is my first litter. The first patch of kits is always harder, I guess." Goosekit smiled and released my legs to join his siblings in our nest, but Dawnkit held tighter to my leg.

"Is something wrong, Dawnkit," I whispered. I knew how nervous she got when I announced questions like that, so I kept as quiet as possible. She let go of me and sat with her tail wrapped around her paws, facing the snowy ground beneath her. "You love them more than me, don't you?"

I almost cried. My daughter didn't fell loved. "Of course not! I love you all equally!" She turned away from me. "No you don't! You like the others because their good warriors... while I can't ever catch a dying mouse."

"That's not true," I protested. "I love you no matter what, and I don't care how good a hunter you are. I'll love you no matter what!" She smiled and hugged my leg. "Really," she asked. I nodded and shook her off my leg playfully. She bounced around me and laughed. After cooling down, she decided she was ready for her nap, the others were already curled up and fast asleep. She walked beside me and laid on my shoulder while I curled around her siblings. Soon we both drifted off to sleep.

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**A/N: Well, that was nice. I'm glad I got to write a short and happy challenge , instead of the usual depressing and dark stuff. Hope you enjoyed! Also, word total: 714**


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